There was and is still plenty of talk about a potential selloff during this season’s trade deadline for the Chicago Cubs. The rumors are being headlined by possibly moving starting pitcher Marcus Stroman. However, after the team’s recent winning streak, the Cubs are giving fans a renewed sense of optimism for the moment.
Entering the recent homestand, the Cubs were 9 games under .500 and 6.5 out of first place in the National League Central division. Since then, they have gone 5-1 with a 7-3 record over the last 10 games played. They are now 33-38 and only 4 games behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers.
Offensively, this is what carried the team to victory for most of those wins at home. Cubs Manager David Ross even mentioned this in a post-game interview:
"“The offense showed up,” manager David Ross said. “Just hopefully we can carry this momentum. Playing really good baseball offensively.”"David Ross via Marquee Sports
Momentum is needed at this point in the season. If there is any hope for a post-season berth, they will need to look towards red-hot players including Christopher Morel and Mike Tauchman. Morel, who started the first month in Triple-A Iowa, now has the second-most home runs on the team with 13 long balls. Tauchman has been a sparkplug by slashing .280/.404/.320 so far this season.
In a surprising stat, the Cubs are the only team in the NL Central that has a positive run differential (+9). The second-best belongs to the worst team in the division (Cardinals) with a -15. The Cubs are going to finish up the homestand by taking on the Pittsburg Pirates once again.